The house mouse (mus musculus) can live and breed in houses, buildings and other structures such as garden sheds or farm buildings. An adult house mouse may weigh up to 30g and is between 160-200mm in length, including the tail. The colour of the fur is usually brown on the back and grey underneath, but black and other colours do occur.

Although an abundant supply of food is preferable, house mice can survive on relatively poor diets, eating between 3 to 4 grams of food a day and can survive without access to free water, obtaining their daily needs from their food.